Phytotaxa 192 (3): 181–189
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Copyright © 2015 Magnolia Press
Article
ISSN 1179-3155 (print edition)
PHYTOTAXA
ISSN 1179-3163 (online edition)
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.192.3.4
Curcuma arida and C. sahuynhensis, two new species from subgenus Ecomata
(Zingiberaceae) from Vietnam
JANA LEONG-ŠKORNIČKOVÁ1, NGỌC-SÂM LÝ2, 3 & QUỐC BÌNH NGUYỄN4
The Herbarium, Singapore Botanic Gardens, National Parks Board, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569. E-mail: jana_skornickova@
nparks.gov.sg
2
Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Département Systématique et Evolution, UMR/MNHN Origine, Structure et Evolution de la
Biodiversité, Case postale 39, 57 rue Cuvier, F-75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
3
Herbarium VNM, Institute of Tropical Biology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 85 Trần Quốc Toản road, Dist. 3, Hồ Chí
Minh City, Vietnam
4
Vietnam National Museum of Nature,Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoàng Quốc Việt Street, Cầu Giấy, Hà Nội,
Vietnam
1
Abstract
Two new Curcuma species are described and illustrated from Vietnam. They are compared to their closest allies from subgenus Ecomata. Curcuma arida from Núi Chúa National Park, Ninh Thuận Province, is compared to Curcuma pambrosima
and C. vitellina, while Curcuma sahuynhensis from Quảng Ngãi Province is compared to Curcuma xanthella.
Key words: Curcuma pambrosima, Curcuma vitellina, Curcuma xanthella, Ninh Thuận Province, Núi Chúa National Park,
Quảng Ngãi Province
Introduction
The Indochinese region is one of the divesity hotspots for the family Zingiberaceae (Leong-Škorničková et al. 2010).
However, the Zingiberaceae flora is not well studied with the last account being over a century old (Gagnepain 1908).
During our extensive explorations of Zingiberaceae for the Flora of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, numerous interesting
ginger species including a new genus Newmania N.S.Lý & Škorničk. (in Leong-Škorničková et al. 2011: 1390) from
Vietnam have been recently described (Lý et al. 2010, Lamxay & Newman 2012, Nguyen & Leong-Škorničková
2012) including eight Curcuma species from Laos and Vietnam. Six of these are from the recently recognised subgenus
Ecomata Škorničk. & Šída f. (in Záveská et al. 2012: 758)—C. vitellina Škorničk. & H.Ð.Trần (in Leong-Škorničková
et al. 2010: 111), C. pambrosima Leong-Škorničková & Lý (2010: 652), C. newmanii Škorničk. and C. xanthella
Škorničk. (both in Leong-Škorničková & Trần 2013: 170, 172), C. corniculata Škorničk. and C. flammea Škorničk.
(both in Leong-Škorničková et al. 2014: 106, 108), while two species are from subgenus Hitcheniopsis Schumann
(1904: 101)—Curcuma pygmaea Škorničk. & Šída f. (in Leong-Škorničková et al. 2013: 639) and Curcuma leonidii
Leong-Škorničková & Lưu (2013: 37).
The species, named below as Curcuma arida, was noticed by the second author several years ago, and new
collections including spirit material were made recently by the first and third authors. The second novelty, named
below as C. sahuynhensis, has been collected by the second author in 2010 along with ample spirit material and detailed
photographic documentation. With the progressing revision of the genus Curcuma for Indochina by the first author,
it is clear these collections represent new species and therefore are described and illustarted below. Curcuma arida is
by its inflorescence shape and colour of the bracts somewhat similar to C. pambrosima, but the shape of the anther
also suggests affinity to Curcuma vitellina. Curcuma sahuynhensis has a distinct L-shaped anther, somewhat similar to
C. xanthella, but this species is otherwise different in the shape of the inflorescence and flowers. The differences are
further discussed in notes for each species. Descriptions are based on living flowering material. Terminology used here
follows Beentje (2012) and the recent ginger works cited above.
Accepted by Maarten Christenhusz: 7 Nov. 2014; published: 14 Jan. 2015
181
Vũ Điệp (Núi Chúa National Park) for issuing permits and giving various logistic and manpower support to conduct
our fieldwork. We also thank Mr Phan Thế Cường and the local people at Đồng Vân and Đồng Đèo villages for various
assistance during fieldwork in Quảng Ngãi Province. We thank Prof. Nguyễn Đình Công and Prof. Lưu Đàm Cư from
the Vietnam National Museum of Nature (Hanoi), and Prof. Hoàng Nghĩa Sơn from the Institute of Tropical Biology
(Hồ Chí Minh City), for various support of our collaborative research. We thank Mr. Aung Thame and Mr. Edward Ong
from Singapore Botanic Gardens and Mr. Trần Hữu Đăng for their assistance in the field.
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Curcuma arida and C. sahuynhensis
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